A biology teacher at a private school for gifted students in Michigan was placed on leave after an assignment displayed a photo of Barack Obama next to monkeys and other animals and asked students to identify primates.
The incident occurred in Roeper School, a private school in Oakland County. The school did not disclose the teacher’s name. According to a report from Click on Detroit, there were no classes held on Thursday, and police were stationed outside the school due to threats made online.
The assignment showed the students a headshot of Barack Obama with monkeys and other animals. It asked, “Who’s who? Which of the following are primates?”
“On behalf of Roeper School’s leadership, we want to acknowledge the disturbing racial offense contained in an assignment with an upper school class last week. The choice to use this piece of curriculum was completely inconsistent with our School’s philosophy and mission and we sincerely apologize for its use and the harm it has caused. While the teacher has taken responsibility and admits the mistake of not properly vetting the resource, we know that is not enough and she has been placed on administrative leave until further notice,” the school said in a statement.
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